From LaBelle, Florida for Hendry and Glades County and the Lake Okeechobee region. Don Browne, editor.

Friday, July 23, 2004

Ave Maria University In Trouble With Feds

The new Ave Maria University founded by Domimo Pizza founder Tom Monaghan isin some trouble with the U.S. Department of Education. Department ofEducation investigations have resulted in refund payments of about $300,000from the Ave Maria College in Michigan campus "because it failed to properlydocument student financial aid applications" between the years 2000 and2002, during which time the college was under the administration ofPresident Nicholas Healy, who left Michigan in 2003 to become president ofAve Maria University in Florida. The Florida campus is in similar trouble,as they allegedly took government student aid money illegally.Meanwhile, founder Monaghan is enduring a public relations nightmare overhis winding down of operations at his Ave Maria College in Michigan, withparents and students protesting Monaghan's heavy handed overseeing of theschool and broken promises.Attorney Jack Sites recently moved from Florida's AMU to the AMC Michigancampus as the new provost, or chief academic officer, where thetwice-divorced Episcopalian has been vice president of academic affairs.Meeting with the Michigan school's Admissions staff, Sites said he is takinga leave of absence from AMU Florida and was brought to the Michigan campusto implement its immediate "wind-down," even though the school's closure isnot slated to occur until 2007, the date Monaghan is telling parents will bethe closing date in order to allow current students to graduate from theschoolChairman of the AMC Board Thomas Monaghan called a June 28 special hopingthat current AMC President Ronald Muller could be removed from office, andreplaced with Monaghan himself as interim president. The proposal thatMonaghan become AMC's president was met with strong objection by some boardmembers, including attorney John Kruse, who said, "with all due respect,Tom, if you become president, it would be a major PR disaster." Monaghan,although a multi-millionaire and major religious organization benefacto, hasno college degree.An article in the Ann Arbor News says "Ave Maria's problems with the DOEwere further compounded when Ave Maria University in Naples, Fla., which islegally separate from the college in Ypsilanti, drew DOE financial aid forits students based on the Ypsilanti college's accreditation. That action isagainst Education Department rules, so it is requesting return of all fundsawarded to students at the Florida school last year."The Department of Education is continuing its investigation of the Floridacampus because it did not have a proper license from the state of Florida.Criminal prosecution is a reported possibility. Nicholas Healy, president ofthe Florida campus, confirmed that the school will have to repay about$380,000 to the federal government. The Florida campus only has about 100students with temporary classrooms in a former retirement home.